


Forest of Nightmares

by Sylph_of_Space



Category: Youtube RPF
Genre: Alter-egos of YouTubers, Based on a Dream, Creepy, Dark, Implied Danti, Implied Relationships, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-08-29 19:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8501959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylph_of_Space/pseuds/Sylph_of_Space
Summary: In a darkened forest, only nightmares come forth. Evil versions of people you looked up to. If you get out, however... you're safe. And so are they. If they catch you? Well... best not to let that happen.





	1. Is This A Dream... Or My Reality?

You groaned heavily, pushing yourself into a sitting position. What happened? You couldn't remember... Where were you? Looking around as you stood up, you noticed you were in a forest. It was seemingly unending with no set path. Light barely flickered through the thick, dark trees. "What the hell...?" You muttered. A rustling noise behind you caught your attention, making you whip around. 

Facing you was someone familiar, though you've never met. You just watched them on YouTube. Markiplier. Except he... Was different. His eyes were dark red, shifting to black sometimes. There were dark circles around his eyes. Makeup, or lack of sleep? His shirt was black, with the famous 'M' of Markiplier, but it had a red circle with a slash through it on the front. The sleeves were ripped off at the shoulders. He wore two black, spiked bracelets, and a black choker. "So you woke up." He said in a bored tone, arms crossed over his chest. 

"You look like Markiplier, but you're not him." You not your lip under his scrutinizing gaze. 

"Well. Technically, I am, but I think the name he gave me, and the fans, is Darkiplier. Dark, if you will." He shrugged, like it didn't matter. "For now, I won't hurt you. Got it?" He waited for a response. 

"Got it... But why would you hurt me?" You asked, taking a small step back on instinct. He just took a step forward as you did that. "Where am I?" 

"Not sure. Some forest. Mad brought us here... Anyways. We wanted to play a game, us 'alter egos'. A..." he grinned, revealing sharper teeth. "Deadly game. One lucky fan was plucked out of their day-to-day lives and dropped here. That being, you. Myself, Anti, Mad, and Virus are scattered in this forest. I'll scatter myself in a few. You needed someone to explain this to you, don't you?" He chuckled darkly, sending chills down your spine. "Your goal is simple: get out. If you can find the end of the forest and get out, you're free forever. If one of us catches you... Well. You won't want that, I can promise that. Anti will just play games with you. Mad'll give chase if you run. Virus will outsmart you. And me? I'll just torture you to hell and back until you wish I killed you." 

Your eyes widened at his words. You were the so-called 'lucky' fan dragged into this hell. And who was Anti? AntiSepticEye? Jacks alter? Mad and Virus... Mad and Virus Cry? If this was true, you were in for hell based on the fan arts and occasional FanFiction you came across of them. "Aren't you supposed to be like... Part of the youtubers?" You pointed out dumbly, buying more time. 

"Usually we are. But this realm isn't your realm. Here, we're separate entities. Speaking of... There's a bonus to this game." He said it like you were playing a video game and offering you a secret mission. "Our originals are somewhere. We can't harm our own... Well. We can, but can't kill them. For example, Jack could kill me, just not Anti. I could kill Cry, but not Mark. You can try to find them, and waste time, or make a run for it." He turned his back to you, but paused. "What's your name?" He called back, not looking at you. 

"(Y/N)." You answered quietly, staring at his back. 

"(Y/N). Nice name. You have five minutes from when I leave, then everyone is going to start looking for you." He informed you before disappearing behind a tree with a haze of grey and black smoke. 

Your mind couldn't seem to comprehend what was happening. It honestly didn't make sense. This had to be a dream... But what if it wasn't? You decided not to take the chance in case it was real and avoid these darker versions at all costs. "Okay. Calm. Pick a direction and start walking." You spun on your spot, stopped, and started to walk. 

Leaves and sticks crunched beneath your feet as you walked. A chill hung on the air, but luckily you had your jacket so it was mostly okay. You looked up, hoping to see the sun and figure out what time it was. The sun couldn't be seen from the forest floor, but there was a gentle stream of constant light. It wasn't much light at all, but was vastly better than none at all. "If I climb a tree, maybe I can see things better!" You commented to yourself out-loud. You felt dumb for not thinking of this before. You picked a tree you could climb and pulled yourself up, climbing the branches close to the trunk so there was less chance they would break. 

The air seemed fresher higher up, like the air below was as evil as the evils lurking in the shadows. The same amount shone though, though, with the sun still not found. You got a decent view of a lot of the forest, making mental note where thorn bushes were too overgrown to pass through or where the next clearing was. It helped you get your bearings for sure. "Oh, I'm impressed lassie. Climbin' a tree? Last one wasn't nearly this smart!" A loud, Irish voice shouted next to your ear. You shrieked in surprise and lost your grip on the tree, falling. You grabbed a branch as you fell, feeling your arm being yanked harshly. It would be a miracle if you didn't just dislocate your shoulder. You held on for dear life, fearing the fall would break something. 

A face peered down at you, a couple branches up. He had a shock of green hair on his head, barely hidden by a hood pulled up. A crazed grin was on his face, accompanied by pointed ears with gauges in them. His eyes flickered from a toxic green to an electric blue, occasionally showing a deep pit of blackness. His eyes were also dark, like Dark's, but this was more obviously like makeup. He, too, wore a black choker, and a couple of darker colored bracelets. His hoodie was green, duller than his hair, with black on the shoulders and sleeves. He had on black jeans as well. "Anti." You breathed, making him smirk. 

"Oh, yeh recognized me then? Goodie goodie  _gumdrops_. Darkie said you didn't know who he was at first." He laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh. "Well you know the rules of the game." He swung down so his foot slammed into your fingers on the branch. "Let's play~" His laugh turned maniacal as he crushed your fingers. With a gasp of pain, you let go and dropped to the forest floor. Lucky break, nothing broken, but your shoulder was on fire and your ankle felt twisted. Anti dropped to the floor in a crouched position, observing you like a new toy he couldn't wait to play with. 

"Is Jack still alive somewhere?" Was the first thing you questioned as you took stock of your injuries. 

"Alive, yes." His following grin was sickening. "But his body was  _weak_. That's how I got out. During a video too! Oh I was so close to gettin' him outta the picture! But. Can't kill our own." He shrugged. "That's okay. I've got a new toy!" His eyes turned pitch black for this next bit. "You." He growled. 

You scrambled backwards, still on the ground. You feared your ankle was really twisted and that you couldn't put any weight on it, so you were trying to rest it as long as possible. Anti stood slowly, showing just how much height he had on you, taking slow and deliberate steps towards you. "You want to play games. Right? That's your thing, games." You spoke quickly. "How does a riddle game sound?" 

This made him pause for a moment. Good timing too, your back was to a tree. "Riddles? Never was good at riddles." He frowned, crouching again. He tilted his head to one side, much like a puppy, but this reminded you of a deranged person more than a puppy. "Tell yeh what. We'll play the little riddle game, but by my rules!" 

"What... What do you suggest?" You questioned, your heart racing. 

He held up three fingers. "Three guesses per riddle!" He dropped two fingers, leaving his middle one up with a grin. "And if you miss the last one, I win. That gives me free access to hurt you!" He paused, his grin widening scarily. "Actually... Scratch that! If  _I_  win, then I'm gonna summon Darkie here, have him stick one of his stupid collars on you." He rubbed his neck for a moment. "He stuck one on me... Once." He said that with an air of finality. "Anyways! Then you're gonna go and find Jack, then find Darkie again. Darkie'll take care of things from there. I'll be watchin' yeh so I'll know if you aren't listenin'. And if you don't? I'll just press a button and you'll be shocked!" He said gleefully. "Exciting, huh?"

"And if I win you don't do any of that!" You stated quickly, not taking the chance with his twisted mind. "You let me go. Give me a head start. Like... ten or fifteen minutes guaranteed you won't come after me." You stopped for a moment. "And point me in the right direction!" 

At this he frowned. "Five minutes and a direction clue. Can't be givin' you too many upper-hands. Then it's no fun anymore." 

"Seven." You demanded. 

"Fine, fine!" He groaned, standing up. He crossed his arms and stared down at you. His eyes remained toxic green. "You go first."


	2. These Games We Play

"Right. Okay. Give me a moment to think." You positioned yourself so you were standing, but leaning mostly against the tree. You needed to test your weight carefully, so you could run when the time came, but still give your ankle a chance to recover. 

"Take your time, lass. I've got all the time in the world." Anti smirked, spinning a knife that appeared out of nowhere in his fingers. 

You let out an unsteady breath. "The person who made it didn't want it. The person who bought it didn't need it. The person who got it never knew. What was it?" You asked finally. His eyes lit up at the challenge. 

"Hm. Hm hm hmm." He made theatrics over his thought process, head tilted with a finger tapping his chin. "A coffin." He laughed at your crestfallen face. "I've heard that one before! You made the mistake of telling a dark joke to a dark version of a person." He strolled towards you, hands behind his back almost innocently. "You can always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, but the future can never taint me." He stopped awfully close to your face. Did he have no sense of personal space? "What am I?" 

You bit your lip, thinking. "Always in the past and created in the present... Memories?" 

He held up three fingers and dropped one. "Try again." 

"If it isn't memories it must be history then." You said confidently. He growled lowly.

"Dammit. Your go." 

"What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?" You weren't sure if he'd get this. 

"Jack's body. Okay, that's too specific. Your body." Anti crossed his arms again, stepping back. You shook your head with a sly smile. "What?!" His eyes flashed a dangerous electric blue, tinted with black. 

"Nope. Sorry. Try again."

"There's nothing that belongs to me, though. I'm created by fans and Jack. I'm not my own person, I'm trapped in his head forever." He grumbled, getting deep suddenly. "I'm only free in this realm. Or if I take over in the real world. It's hard to get 'em there though! His body is weak but his mind is stronger." He sighed. "Alright. I won't think about this like myself but as someone else. Someone normal." He frowned in thought. "Your name." 

You sighed heavily, both at the information he just spilled to you and his answer. "Yes that's... That's it." He fist-pumped in the air, hard. 

"YES! JACKABOY STRIKES AGAIN!" He sounded too much like Jack. "I don't have eyes but I once did see. Once I did have thoughts, but now I'm white and empty." He wasted no time in trying to trip you up again, using a sing-song voice this time. You put yourself in the mind of a psycho like Anti, thinking hard. 

"Are you... a skull?" You asked tentatively. Your ankle felt better now, still a little sore you noticed as you put more weight on it. He cursed a colorful string, obviously getting antsy at this inaction. You had to stump him to get away. You remembered a riddle you heard once... It stumped you for ages. "What is it that no man ever yet did see, which never was, but always is to be?" 

Anti blinked, confused. "What kinda riddle is that? It's worded funny." He snapped. "Is it death?"

You shook your head and he snarled. "Never was but always is to be... the future!" 

"Close. But not quite." 

"DAMMIT LASS!" He shouted, his control on his temper failing as his eyes flickered to black. "One more guess." He started to pace, like a trapped animal. You feared that if you did win, he'd attack you out of rage. He whipped around suddenly, one eye green and one eye blue now. "Your next breath." 

You sighed heavily, relief and fear flooding you. "No. That's not it. The answer is tomorrow." You told him. You saw the restrained rage in his face, his body very tense. 

"I guess you won." His voice was deadly calm. "The way out is that way." He pointed behind him. "You've got seven minutes, and then I'm gonna hunt yeh down." His eyes were black pits. 

You wasted no time in bolting past him. He stayed in the same spot, staring you down as you ran, until you couldn't see him anymore. You ran and ran until the burning pain of your ankle and your lungs caught up to you and you decided to rest for a moment. Only a moment, though. You sank to the ground against a tree, taking in deep breaths. Adrenaline was your best friend right now, coursing through your body fiercely. It made it hard to calm down, but it also helped you keep running and keep going through the pain of your ankle. It wasn't twisted or sprained, you decided. Bruised badly, maybe. 

_Snap!_

Your head whipped around to the side, searching. Did he already find you? Or was it another one? A puff of bright red hair greeted you first, followed by calm brown eyes and dark colored clothes. Markiplier. With his YouTube symbol on his shirt, not crossed through. Normal. Not his 'dark' version. "Who're you?" He asked in confusion. 

"I'm (Y/N)." You said simply. You didn't ask who he was because you knew. 

"Mark. Under different circumstances, I'd say it's nice to meet you." He laughed awkwardly, glancing around. "You know what's going on?" 

You shrugged, standing carefully. "I woke up here. I don't remember what happened. Dark, as he called himself, explained things. Said it's a game, said I if I get out, I'm safe and if I don't, then I'm dead or a play thing or something. He also said I could find the... Well, he called you the 'originals' and try to save you." 

He ran a hand through his hair, breathing out a heavy sigh. "We didn't keep a good cap on them, huh... I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I don't even know you!" 

"Have you run into anyone else?" You asked.

"If I had seen Jack or Cry, I would be with them now. I think I saw Mad roaming around, but I avoided him." He stated, rubbing his arm lightly. 

"I had a run-in with Anti but I outsmarted him with riddles. He likes playing games, makes things more fun or something." You told him, a small, proud smile gracing your face. There was the rustling of a bush nearby, making you jolt up straight. Adrenaline flooded your system again.

"C'mon, we can stick together." Mark offered, having heard the noise too. You nodded, and the two of you left the small clearing, heading in the same direction Anti pointed you in before.


End file.
